8 Crazy Things You Should Store In Your Freezer

Think your freezer is only good for storing TV dinners and huge quantities of meat? Think again! Your freezer has a ton of different uses that you probably didn’t even realize. Here are 8 crazy non-food items you should start throwing in the freezer.

Batteries—About 3 billion batteries are bought in the U.S. alone every single year. That’s a lot of batteries and a lot of money spent on them! We use batteries to power all sorts of items around the house – remote controls, flashlights, clocks…you name it. Unfortunately, batteries can lose power over time if they’re stored away in a drawer going unused. That’s where your freezer can come in handy. Storing batteries in your freezer could actually help them last longer. And for those batteries you’re already using, stick them in the freezer every few nights as well. It could extend battery life by up to 90%!

Candles—Putting your wax candles in the freezer before using them can extend their burn time significantly. The idea is that freezing delays melting, so the candles will burn longer. Of course, there is some debate over this, but many swear it works. And that’s not the only reason to toss your candles in the freezer. Once the candle is all burned out, you can freeze the candle jar to help loosen up some of the leftover wax residue, making cleanup a breeze!

Seeds—Have a green thumb? Keep your seeds fresh and potent by storing them in the freezer. Make sure you keep your seeds in an airtight container when you freeze them. This could help extend the seed’s lifetime by as much as 40 years in storage! When you take the seeds out of the freezer to use them, be sure to let the container come up to room temperature before you open it. If you open it while the container is still freezing cold, condensation will form on the seeds, which could potentially damage them.

Film—Believe it or not, some people still shoot pictures on film. Crazy, I know. For all you old-school photographers out there still keeping it real, you can store your unused film in the freezer to help it last longer. This is an especially good idea right now since so many companies are no longer manufacturing film cameras and film could get difficult to come by one day. Stock up now and freeze it!

Makeup—Ladies, your makeup is a breeding ground for germs. I hate to say it, but it’s true. The good news is freezing certain items, like your lipstick and mascara, could help kill bacteria and viruses. Dr. Oz recommends putting these makeup items in the freezer overnight to help clean them. Better to be safe than sorry!

Denim jeans—Why the heck would you throw your jeans in the freezer? Since you asked, I’ll tell you. When you buy a nicer pair of jeans, throwing them in the washing machine is one of the worst things you could do. It could change the way they look and fit. But you don’t want to walk around with dirty, smelly jeans either, right? Riiiigghhht? That’s where freezing them can help. Sticking your jeans in the freezer overnight can help kill the bacteria, making them cleaner and killing any odor. You don’t even need to put them in a bag. Just toss them in the freezer as is. It won’t shrink your jeans or change the way they look.

Pantyhose—Freezing your pantyhose sounds weird, but it actually helps strengthen the fibers, so they’ll last more than a couple of wears without running. Put your pantyhose in the freezer for 24 hours and then take them out. Make sure to let them thaw a little bit before you put them on unless you want to freeze your butt off…literally!

Sealed envelopes—Don’t you hate it when you stamp and seal an envelope only to realize that you forgot to put something inside? Oops! The good news is you don’t have to rip the envelope open. Just put it in your freezer for a couple of hours, take it out, and immediately open it with a letter opener. This should allow you to open it without damaging the adhesive. Once it reaches room temperature, you should be able to seal the envelope back up without any issues. We’re trusting you not to use this trick for sneaky purposes!

Now do you believe us when we say your freezer isn’t just for food?

Janice Jimenez is self-described frugalista. When it comes to saving a buck, she’s the girl you want to talk to!